Contents

History

The original Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash began as a small comic book store in Red Bank, New Jersey called Comicology. It was where Kevin Smith used to purchase his comics, and as seen on the DVD for Chasing Amy, appears in the first deleted scene. When Smith learned the owner was permanently closing the store and moving to Asia, he expressed interest in purchasing the store for its back stock and client list. He bought it for $30,000 USD, and took it over in January 1997, putting his friend and colleague Walt Flanagan, whom he characterizes as "our resident comics genius", in charge of running the store. The store was repainted, filled with some film props, and its facade outfitted with a logo designed by Smith's friend Scott Mosier. The store was rechristened Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, after the two characters played by Smith and Jason Mewes in Smith's films. According to Smith, the store attracted not only the typical local customers, but also those from other states, countries and continents. Feeling that such visitors deserved a less mediocre store to travel to, Smith moved the store two years later to a larger location[1] at 35 Broad Street,[2] and had his production designer on Chasing Amy and Dogma to help design the store's appearance, and filled it with every prop and artwork possible from Smith's films, such as the Bluntman and Chronic pages from Chasing Amy that had been drawn by comic artist Mike Allred and the Buddy Christ statue from Dogma. A new logo for the store was designed by comics writer/artist Matt Wagner. The store opened in March 1999 with a gala "Stash Bash".[1]

A second Secret Stash in the Westwood area of Los Angeles was opened in September 2004 and was managed by long-time associate Bryan Johnson, who has appeared in Smith's films as Steve-Dave.[3] It closed on October 10, 2007. The store relocated inside the Laser Blazer DVD retailer in Los Angeles, California.[4] The Stash at Laser Blazer closed on January 11, 2009. Laser Blazer remained open and used the area for Blu-ray Discs.[5][6]

Appearances in media

The Stash, as seen on July 9, 2012, the first day of filming of Season 2 of Comic Book Men. Note the tinted plexiglass panels fitted over the door and windows to block out sunlight during filming, and the chair provided for customers whose transactions are filmed for episode segments.

The Stash has been a notable location for owner Kevin Smith to shoot scenes for some of his View Askew films. It first appeared (while still known as Comicology) in a deleted scene from Chasing Amy as Steve-Dave and Walt's comic book store.